Editorials

Foregoing plastic

The Manipur government’s recent decision to ban plastic bags is welcome. It will involve a great deal of sacrifice on the part of shoppers and shopkeepers, for indeed, plastic bags which are now dirt cheap, come free from shopkeepers and vendors as bonuses to carry items purchased from them, and are extremely convenient for both parties. But, every good initiative must come with a price, and as they say, nobody can have the cake and eat it too. We for one have no doubt whatsoever that the it is a price well worth paying, for in the long run, this price may be what saves our environment from total degradation, and therefore the consequent degeneration in the quality of life in the state as well. If anybody were to sail to the less known side of the Loktak lake along where the Nambul river enters it at Liklai Karong, the damage disposable plastic bags and plastic water bottles are doing will become evident. These wastes are literally choking and strangulating the lake other than making it look extremely ugly. If their inflow is not halted at the soonest, it is more than likely the lake’s death will be hastened. Plastic bags and other plastic wastes are not just killing this lake but are also choking so many more. As for instance, they are piling up in mounds which numbers and sizes are perennially increasing at several disposal areas in the Imphal municipal area –Lamphel, Porompat, Thangapat, Ngarian hillside etc. They are clogging many, if not most of our rivers too. Thanks to the open media, we also know that even the world’s oceans are now beginning to feel the pressure of plastic waste. The trouble is, unlike traditional wastes, plastic junk will not rot and be absorbed into the soil readily for they are not bio-degradable. According to scientists, it will take at least 400 years before plastic wastes begin showing signs of decay, which also means whatever plastic that has ever been made in this world and thrown away as waste, are still around if they have not been burnt.

The government’s ban order had a clause that only plastic bags of certain thickness will be banned. If we are to interpret this, the order will leave the people with an alternate means to replace the banned items. If cheap disposable plastic bags cannot be used anymore, their replacement with sturdy, durable and well-made reusable plastic bags which come for a monetary price will probably be encouraged. These would also still be plastic, but because they are comparatively expensive and also because they can be reused, they will not be disposed as readily and therefore not pose such a grave danger to the environment. In other words, they would still be bad but not desperately bad. If there were to be a way for complete replacement of plastic, that would have been the best, but this is unlikely to be just as yet. This is because so many of the most vitally important everyday items of modern living are made of plastic. These would include pens, mobile phones, computers and practically every consumer goods, most of which would be impossible to do without, at least until a viable alternative material is found. Another alternate scenario could be the discovery of a use for plastic wastes. News of experiments in the use of plastic in making road building materials in some European countries has been encouraging. If such uses of plastic wastes on a commercial scale do come to be reality, perhaps someday the world can revert back to using plastic bags without fearing it as an environmental contaminant. Until such a time, that is if such a time does come about, we will have to resort to means to curtail the use of plastic bags etc., to the extent possible.

We hope the government succeeds in enforcing the ban. We also hope it does not give up midway, regardless of whatever pressure from interested parties. In the meantime, let the people also remember that for a project such as this to succeed, their cooperation is vital. They must realize the little sacrifices of everyday conveniences they make, is ultimately for their own good. Not just plastic bags and bottles, they should in fact be mindful of any use and dispose plastic products and to the extent possible switched to more environment friendly lifestyles. As for instance, they could begin by not using disposable ball point pens, and instead switch to more durable versions of them, even if it cost a little more. Or else, they could revert to ink fountain pens. Saving the environment is a cause everybody can unite and fight together, leaving aside all their ethnic and geographical differences.

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